During my time on this site I've noticed a lot of contradicting opinions about the use of effects in AMVs.

One opinion seems to be that they're cheesy and just a way for AMV creators to get popular fast because audiences are so stupid that they think lots of effects = great videomaking.

Also, there are some videos that look more like effect shows than anime music videos. Videos where it doesn't matter what series/movie the creator is using, it's all just a demonstration of his/her use of effects.

But there's a lot of praise toward the use of effects as well. Many of the videos that are best recieved here seem[i] to be those that use effects a lot/well.

Though I have opinions of my own I'd like to hear what the rest of you think about them. Are they helpful to AMV making or are they causing a problem among creators?

An effect isn't a brownie point, it's just a tool for expression. Some videos require them, others don't.

It doesn't really matter but it is true that as video editors amny of us are very much impressed by an effect-heavy video, provided it is done well and with intent.

I think the reason for this is partly acknowedgement of skill and also because the creator is actually molding the source into their own thing which is a very admirable thing.

To have someone running in a stadium with the sky filled with a mirror of them in anguish - that's creative use of effects with purpose, reason and excellent execution. These things are good and make for good videos.

Effects on their own? Well, they are neither here nor there. Effects for a reason, well any editing for a reason is a good thing - effects are just another means.

It all depends, as AD stated, I have seen good effects and bad effects and there are also videos I like that were made with WMM, Liquid Petals for example. It all depends on the choice effects either can be bad or great I think there is really no "in the middle".

As AD, I am divided in my opinion. Sometimes effects are needed and are really a "part" of the video. And they can help you to plasmate one anime into something that is closer to your vision of the things.

On the other end I see lots of videos which use some "smart" combination of effects and cool anime to impress people... but they are really empty and sterile under that shiny cover.

Do people recognize it? Mostly not. I can easily tell you that on the average a stupid video well edited and with cool effects is gonna easily win over a carefully planned video which uses straight cuts and cross fades only.

Personally I like effects when they are well used, but not when they make the center of the video. If the video lacks integrity and some kind of assembly then it's doomed for me.

Effects aren't necessary to make a video. Nor are they necessary to make a good video.

But i think when an AMV creator gets to a certain level when his imagination goes beyond what he has in the anime for footage; once he starts to think outside the box then Effects, especially custom effects done by the creator through the use of multiple programs become absoloutely essential. This is the only path for someone to make his AMV trully his and truly UNIQUE, and TRULY HIS/HERS.

I tend to stay away from too many video changing effects. Effects I generally use are black and white effects for contrast or a "rememberence" type of feel.....cross-fading/overlay is a great tool if used correctly. See j-bones renagade meagdeus video if you want an example of an excelent use of crossfadding. Flashes to create a strobe effect or to punctuate audio points in a video. I like using motion and size changes to have multiple clips on the same screen, but even these simple effects can be overused and badly done. My first two videos didn't have any effects except crossfading between scene changes and i feel that they came out fairly well for first trys. My november rain video is the same way but using some white flashes and some overlays at the end. My current project uses some black and white and mutiple clips using motion/size changes. But every effect is there to punctuate a song point, not just b/c i felt they would look cool there. But many videos use lots of effect and you might not realize it. The whole point is to make them enhace the video without it screaming...look at me, i can do this neat effect. There are lots of things you CAN do, but just because you can doesn't mean you should. If you got a reallu good concept, many times you don't need any effects to make a great video. Most of the "clasic videos" that we all come to love were made with no effects and still are great to this day.

Wait....did i have a point? Oh yeah......i think simple effects are usefull as they don't draw too mch attention, but at the same time can add some nice defintion and make your video a little moer visually appealing.

"People can not gain anything without putting forth any effort. That is the absolute Truth" - Dante, Full Metal Alchemist

...wondering if someone sees my work as random effects or just action with no plot or ideas... lacking planning etc.

'Eye of the beholder' is my answer to this topic. To people who have never edited nor seen many amvs, effect videos or just fast cut videos are usually seen as pretty amazing, while those that may have taken much more time, preperation, and creation are not.

I personally like to tell a story with basic clips and cuts with the occasional semi-excessive dive into eye-candy.

As for videos done with gobs of effects AND planning... they can still just come out as mindless eye-candy... not really having a point or going anywhere.

...a good video is a good video to the viewer. If it entertains, keeps interest, or makes the viewer watch it 8000 times... it must be a good video to that person. Don't diss a mindless video if you like it!

As for the masses well... I don't really try to reach them, I make these for fun in an attempt to create the vision of the song/anime that I want to see.

I have sinned. I made a video I wanted to make that was music + anime + sync + action + effects/transitions. Oh lordy. NHMK Anime Reviews

One good thing to keep in mind: look at music videos you see on MTV or things like that; not necessarily for video-making overall, but for use of effects. They use effects as it helps the video; sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Look at ACDCs videos and look at Linkin Park's videos. ACDC uses no effects whatsoever in their videos and they're still pretty good. Linkin Park uses effects like crazy and they're still pretty good. It's a matter of having an discerning eye good enough to tell when effects should be used.

rurouni_trelane wrote:One good thing to keep in mind: look at music videos you see on MTV or things like that; not necessarily for video-making overall, but for use of effects. They use effects as it helps the video; sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Look at ACDCs videos and look at Linkin Park's videos. ACDC uses no effects whatsoever in their videos and they're still pretty good. Linkin Park uses effects like crazy and they're still pretty good. It's a matter of having an discerning eye good enough to tell when effects should be used.

you compare ac/dc to linkin gay park ? .......blasfimer ok ok use of effects....music video creation is an art and as an art it must reflect the feelings of the artist . so if the creator feels like making an amv with a deep story and plot or just a mindless dbiskuitz video -_^ it's all him . i'm not saying i'm not enjoying a good action video but as a viewer i want to see well thought videos instead of a barrage of effects...but...as an editor i want to see a really good eddited video to apreciate it. effects are a way of showing your skills yes but the only reason they should be used is to give something to the video if they don't , keep it out of it and make a nice wellthought video , it still can be as good . if you manage to do both then you have yourselves a masterpiece . it's all about what you want out of your video